October 24, 2012 1:04pm EDTOctober 24, 2012 11:23am EDTRegan Smith was supposed to drive the Phoenix Racing car for the rest of the season. Those plans were put on hold when he filled in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Now, Smith will share the No. 51 car with AJ Allmendinger in the final four races.

Both AJ Allmendinger and Regan Smith will get a chance to drive the Phoenix Racing No. 51 car over the final month of the season with Allmendinger running the next two races at Martinsville and Texas and Smith the final two at Phoenix and Homestead, team general manager Steve Barkdoll confirmed Wednesday.

Smith had tentatively been scheduled to drive the final six races after his release from Furniture Row Racing, where he was replaced by Kurt Busch, who had been driving for Phoenix Racing.

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But the night before the first practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports asked Phoenix Racing if it could use Smith for two weeks to fill in for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who had to miss two races while recovering from a concussion.

Phoenix Racing, which has a technical alliance with Hendrick, allowed Smith to drive the No. 88 car and scrambled to put Allmendinger in its car at Charlotte and Kansas.

“I have nothing but good things to say about Phoenix Racing,” he said. “… At Charlotte a couple of weeks ago, they were willing to work with me and let me, in a situation where they were giving me a great opportunity to hop in their racecar, they were willing to let me jump ship just that quick.”

Allmendinger, who had just recently been reinstated after being suspended for violating NASCAR’s substance-abuse policy, has been a positive influence and fast in the car, Barkdoll said.